Vitamin B12 Sources
Fortunately, there are many vitamin B12 sources available to prevent a vitamin B12 deficiency if you are on a plant-based vegan diet.
Here are some practical steps you can take to make sure that you get enough of this essential vitamin.
Eat vegan foods that are fortified with B12
Some cereals, soy products, and other vegan foods are fortified with this vitamin. Be sure to read the labels so you know how much you are getting.
Add B12 fortified nutritional yeast to your diet
Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula is a great choice. Nutritional yeast is quite delicious! You can add it to a lot of different foods.
Click here to learn more about nutritional yeast.
Drink B12 fortified non-dairy beverages
Fortified non-dairy beverages such as soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk are usually fortified with B12. Check the labels!
Many brands of non-dairy milk (e.g., Natura, Almond Dream, etc.,) have 50% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin B12 per serving. The amount may vary from country to country.
Take a B12 supplement
Some companies may vitamin B12 supplements from vegan sources. Check in your local health food store for a brand that you like.
If you are on a plant-based vegan diet, the only truly reliable vitamin B12 sources are fortified foods, fortified nutritional yeast, and B12 supplements.
If you eat a well balanced diet that includes a wide variety of fortified B12 foods and take a B12 supplement from time to time, you should have no worries about becoming deficient in this vitamin.
How Much B12 Do I Need?
You don't need very much B12. Your body is pretty good at conserving it. If you are an adult, you need about 2.5 micrograms per day.
Children need much less, anywhere from 0.4 mcg to 1.8 mcg depending on the age. Speak to your health care practitioner to determine the exact requirement.
Pregnant or nursing? You need about 2.8 micrograms each day. Enough B12 needs to be available for your developing baby.
Vitamin B12 Supplements
Most vitamin B12 supplements that you will see in the store have a much higher dose than the RDA.
If you are healthy and eating foods that are fortified with this vitamin, you may only need to take one 500 mcg tablet once a week (or even once every second week) in order to fully meet your needs.
There is no need for you to take it every day unless your doctor or health care practitioner has recommended that regimen to you.
Vitamin B12 is water soluble, so you don't need to worry about getting too much. Your body will use what it needs and will flush out the rest.
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